Walk with me to Wonderland
by Hellen says what's up
Summary: Set in 1837-1901. Eponine used to be known as Alice. When she was younger, she used to go into an imaginary wonderland with talking rabbits and mad hatters. She was screaming in her sleep too…soon enough, she was sent to a mental hospital. She's now eighteen and working at an orphanage for mentally insane children…the place where she grew up.


Come with me to wonderland

Eponine Thenardier used to be known as Alice. When she was younger, she used to go into an imaginary wonderland with talking rabbits and mad hatters. She was screaming in her sleep too…soon enough, she was sent to a mental hospital. She's now eighteen and working at an orphanage for mentally insane children…the place where she grew up. She meets a few new people (and some from her past.)

**Eponine (Alice) – Assistant carer for the children of Grey Hollow's mental orphanage**

**Courfeyrac- House keeper of Grey Hollow's Mental Orphanage**

**Cosette-Bar tender from across the street**

**Marius- Owner of the pub across the street**

**Combeferre- Doctor for the young and mentally challenged**

**Grantaire- Fisherman**

**Feuilly- Toy maker (upgrade from fans)**

**Enjolras- House attendant for Grey Hollow's Mental Orphanage**

**Tester chapter**

"Name?" The elderly man asked, peering over the edge of his silver wired glasses to glare at Eponine with a look of somewhat dysfunction and disgust. Eponine stood on the opposite side of the wooden reception desk. She wore a black coat with matching boots and carried a ten-ton satchel over her right shoulder. _This place hadn't changed at all, _she thought to herself. The same dreary purple and black wallpaper stood plastered against the damp walls. The same creaking floorboards lay under her feet as she walked from space to space. The same burnt-to-black curtains hung from the broken window panes. Eponine suddenly felt like a child again.

The old man had greyish skin which gave him the appearance of a walking dead man. His face was long like a horse's and his nose was abnormally prominent and thin with a crook down the side. He bared no hair on his head other than a few lose strands of silver-grey that sat from the sides. He sat at the desk, a long white-feathered quill balanced between his skinny fingers. The quill hovered over a blank sheet of paper. "They call me Eponine, but I was once known as Alice."

"Alice? Charming, I'm sure." The man sounded sarcastic, but you could hardly tell these days. "How old are you Eponine?"

"Almost eighteen." Eponine confirmed.

The old man sniggered. "Eighteen…so youthful. Why would you choose to waste your good years in this bloody dungeon…" He sounded as though he was talking with himself.

"It's not wasting if I'm putting it to good use."

The man crooked his brow. "Alright then…I don't see any reason why anyone would want to come back to Grey Hollow anyway. This town is nothing but a boiling burial ground. I wish I could leave…If I could I would…but I can't…so I shan't."

"…You could. You're the minister of your own life Sir…no, actually, you are the dictator of your own life. If you wish to leave, then by God, so be it…there's nothing to fear out there you know. The only one stopping you is you."

"I have no fear Miss Eponine…" the man said, narrowing his eyes. "You'll be paid minimum wage for your work here. We shall also provide you food, water and a bed to sleep in." The man opened a draw from under his desk and pulled out a rusty silver key attached to a wine cork. He handed the key to Eponine and she took it without a fuss. "Up the stairs and down the corridor on your right. Your room is the second on the left."

"Thank you, Mr…"

"Call me Banks." The man replied, turning his head from Eponine back to a stack of yellow pages that sat above his desk top. Eponine sighed as she took a few steps away to make her way up the stairs. With every step she took, a creaking floorboard would give the tiniest sound, and with every sound came another forgotten memory.

She made her way up the stairs and into the hallway. All the children were in their rooms, presumably asleep; given it were four in the morning. The hallway had many wooden toys and plastic knickknacks scattered amongst the purple carpet. Eponine was careful to avoid treading on the toys as she made her way to her room. It was a simple wooden door with a brown frame and chipped edges. As Eponine slotted the crooked key into the hole just under the rusted metal handle, it seemed to get jammed against the bottom of the lock, and the key didn't seem to be coming out. Eponine groaned in frustration, pulling at the key, but to no avail. "God damn it..."

"What did God ever do to you?" a voice behind her questioned. Eponine turned to look over her shoulder. A tall young man in a grey waistcoat stood at the end of the hall, a childish smirk plastered to his face. "You know, I've never met a woman who's ever managed to snap a piece of metal whilst it's in the lock. You must have a terrible grudge against tiny keys Madame."

Eponine rolled her eyes. "I guess you could say that…"

"You're one of the new Nan's aren't you? You know…for the kids." Eponine nodded slightly. "I'm house keeper, Courfeyrac. People call me Courf'…you're Alice, right?"

"No. It's Eponine now."

"Why'd you change it? Alice is a beautiful name." Courfeyrac rolled his tongue as he spoke. His maniacal grin reminded Eponine of a certain cat she used to know.

"I have a grudge against the name." She huffed, pulling at the key again.

"Stop that." Courfeyrac said, "You're just going to break the lock…that's like, twenty percent off of your next pay. Let me have a go at it." Courfeyrac hopped over to where Eponine stood and gently pushed her out of the way with his left arm. He studied the bent silver key that hung from the lock. He carefully jerked the key up a couple of times to loosen the grip. After a few more moments of fiddling, there was a strange clicking sound. The key then slid from its trap in the door and the lock was free. Courfeyrac chuckled to himself. "I know, I'm amazing." Eponine let out a weary sigh and pulled her satchel through the door, past Courfeyrac, who stood by the doorway. "A simple thank you would have been decent enough." Eponine slammed the door in his face.

"THANK YOU." She shouted from the other side. Courfeyrac shook his head. _What a strange woman…she'll fit in just fine, _he thought.

…

Eponine glanced around the dull room. The black curtains were draped back, letting in thin streams of light from the window. The room was small with not much walking space. At the front of the room sat a bed, writing desk and a wardrobe for her things. The bed was placed next to the window. Eponine dropped her bag on the floor carelessly and tiptoed her way towards the window. As the blinding light came into her eye view, Eponine shielded her eyes with the back of her hand to avoid the rays. She pulled back the curtains with her other hand, letting the gentle rays of morning sunlight bring the room alive. She looked out of her window to see the cold and miserable people walking up and down the streets, wasting their lives away until there was nothing left but skin and bone. The whole town seemed to be riddled with the vibes of depression, as if no one wanted to live like this.

Eponine came here to start her life over. She didn't wish to have wonderland in her life anymore. She wanted to escape to a new world where she could just be sane instead of being accused of not having the tiniest drop of sanity. She knew, it could take years for her life to get back on track…but she had to try.

**This is just a intro by the way (hence why it seems rather boring) Thoughts?**


End file.
